Southern Utah vs Eastern Kentucky Prediction, Odds & Best Bet for March 21 CBI Game (Thunderbirds Advance to Final)

Southern Utah vs Eastern Kentucky Game Info

• 2022-23 College Basketball Invitational Game
• Southern Utah (24-12) vs. Eastern Kentucky (22-13)
• Date: Tuesday, March 21, 2023
• Time: 7:00 PM ET
• Venue: Ocean Center -- Daytona Beach, Florida
• Coverage: ESPN2

The 2023 CBI Tournament continues on Tuesday with a semifinal matchup between the Southern Utah Thunderbirds and Eastern Kentucky Colonels. Southern Utah snuck by Rice in an 81-79 win on Monday, while Eastern Kentucky pulled off an 89-88 upset over Indiana State in the quarterfinals.

Southern Utah vs Eastern Kentucky Odds & Spread

• All college basketball betting lines, odds and prop bets are from FanDuel Sportsbook.
• Moneyline: S UTAH: (-188) | E KY: (+155)
• Spread: S UTAH: -3.5 (-118) | E KY: +3.5 (-104)
• Total: 154.5 -- Over: (-110) | Under: (-110)

Southern Utah enters this contest as a small favorite on the moneyline and spread per FanDuel Sportsbook's odds. This 7 p.m. ET clash also features an over/under of 154.5 points with both sides available at -110 odds.

Southern Utah vs Eastern Kentucky Betting Trends

• Against the spread, Southern Utah is 18-13-0 this season.
• The Thunderbirds' ATS record as 2.5-point favorites or more is 9-8.
• Southern Utah has seen 18 of its 31 games hit the over.
• Eastern Kentucky's record against the spread is 21-10-0.
• As 2.5-point underdogs or greater, the Colonels are 10-4 against the spread.
• There have been 12 Eastern Kentucky games (out of 31) that went over the total this year.

Southern Utah Rank	Southern Utah AVG		Eastern Kentucky AVG	Eastern Kentucky Rank
5th	82.2	Points Scored	78.1	34th
285th	73.8	Points Allowed	72.7	260th
23rd	35.4	Rebounds	36.8	7th
103rd	9.3	Off. Rebounds	12	2nd
73rd	8.3	3pt Made	8.5	59th
179th	13	Assists	15.1	46th
258th	12.6	Turnovers	11.7	158th

Southern Utah vs Eastern Kentucky Prediction & Pick

Eastern Kentucky frustrated Indiana State's defense on Monday as it sped up the game with quick possessions and shot 49.3% from the floor. That is a dangerous combo to have when it works. The Colonels rank 49th in possessions per game (72.9), but only 278th in shooting percentage (42.4%).

Southern Utah is a team that can keep up with Eastern Kentucky's pace considering it ranks 14th in possessions per game (75.2). Not only that, but it scores the ball at a much higher rate than EKU. The Thunderbirds rank 23rd in points per game (78.3) and 117th in shooting percentage (45.1%).

All signs point to a shootout, so back the better offense and take the Thunderbirds to advance.

Final Score Prediction: Southern Utah: 83 | Eastern Kentucky: 76

Southern Utah vs Eastern Kentucky Best Bet

It's not hard to understand why this point total is listed at an immense 154.5 points. As mentioned above, both Eastern Kentucky and Southern Utah are not afraid to go the rim early in the shot clock or chuck up three-pointers at any time. Players are going to be flying up and down the court tonight.

The total has hit the over in five of the Thunderbirds' last seven games overall as well as in four of the Colonels' last five games in March. Eastern Kentucky has also allowed at least 75 points in each of its last three games, while Southern Utah has given up at least 75 points in four of its last five contests.

Bet: Over 154.5 Total Points (-110)

Larry Rupp is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Larry Rupp also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username phillyfan424. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel. 

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.